WESTON'S famous November carnival will take place on a Friday for the first time ever next year.

The Weston parade will take place on November 9 in 2012, the first time the popular winter event has moved from a Monday in its 36-year history.

The move comes after organisers of Bridgwater carnival agreed a deal to move to a Saturday slot for three years from 2012.

The event, which for the last two years has run on a revised route from Locking Road along the town’s seafront and then back to Station Road, will still take place on a Monday this year.

The current Somerset carnival running order is Bridgwater (Fri), North Petherton (Sat), Burnham (Mon), Shepton Mallet (Wed), Wells (Fri), Glastonbury (Sat), with Weston rounding off the circuit on the final Monday.

Organiser Brian Coombs said: “I would hope this would mean there will be more people coming to see the carnival, as children won’t have to get up for school and lots of people won’t have to get up to go to work.

“Hopefully it will also allow us to raise more money for the funding of the event.”

The Burnham and Highbridge carnival is also set to become the first parade of the 2012 circuit, as it looks likely to be moved to Friday, November 2 after the meeting of the Somerset Carnival Committee on February 7.

Organiser Phil New said: “We’ve proposed to move to the Friday, and I can’t see anyone having any problems with the change of day.

“By having it on a Friday it should be able to bring in a lot more business not just for the carnival, but the town as a whole.”